Falls Choom cannabis store to open June 15
The grand opening for a Choom cannabis store in Niagara Falls is scheduled for June 15.
“We’re just anxious to get open and kind of see what the Falls brings us in terms of people that are interested in coming to the store,” said Lisa Bigioni, who owns the business that will operate out of a 3,000-square-foot building in the Niagara Square parking lot.
“We’ll have a wide array of dry-flower products, we’ll have accessories, we’ll have oils – those are essentially the main product categories that we’ll be selling.”
Bigioni was an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario lottery winner to establish a store at 7555 Montrose Rd., Unit E3.
She entered into a licensing agreement with Choom Cannabis, a Vancouver-based company with experience building, outfitting and launching stores.
“They’ve been fantastic to work with,” said Bigioni.
The original plan was to open the cannabis store at the start of May.
“There have just been some construction challenges that have delayed the process,” she said.
“We just are making sure that it’s done right. This is a longterm plan.
“We’re not just racing to get the store open, we are making sure that the store is right for a longterm positioning in Niagara Falls.”
Bigioni said the building was “pretty much a blank slate” when they took it over. She said the design is “beautiful” and she
“can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
“There’s a living wall behind the cash counter. There will be four cash registers and another few tablets that staff can walk around with and help customers with. There will be a lot of educational material available. It’s going to be gorgeous.”
The federal government legalized cannabis Oct. 17.
The province introduced private retail stores April 1 that are overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Niagara's first cannabis retail store, The Niagara Herbalist in St. Catharines, opened April 1.
Bigioni said she has been following how cannabis stores, such as in St. Catharines and Hamilton, have been doing since opening.
“St. Catharines is doing really well. Hamilton is doing really well. Some of the stores are so overwhelmed they’re running out of supply. I’m so excited. I just can’t wait to open.”
She said the Niagara Falls store will initially employ 24 people, in addition to herself and her husband. There will be fulltime and part-time employees.
“Our staff has been fully trained … gone through cannabis sommelier training, so if anyone has any questions in terms of the effects of certain products, the preferred consumption methods … we can direct people to certain products that may be best suited for them.”
Bigioni said she’s pleased there’s now a legal option for Canadians who don’t want to participate in the illicit market.
“I’m thrilled that the uptake in this province is as strong as it is. I expect that to level off when more stores are open, but I think it’s just a strong testament to legalization in the first place.”